22 April 2009

New Beginnings

Chapter 39: Laurie, lazing around Europe, spends some time with Amy, who gives him a piece of her mind, not realizing that he & Jo have had words. She then feels terrible about it; but the "damage" is already done: he decides to shape up.

Chapter 40: Beth dies. It's a very sweet chapter. I actually cried more over learning that she was going to die, than I did over the actual dieing, strangely enough. One thing that just makes my heart ache is the decision not to tell Amy that Beth was as sick as she was, so she doesn't get a chance to say her goodbyes. While I do understand the reasoning: Amy's in Europe and there's not going to be another opportunity like this, it seems to me that she should have been included in the decision making process, and known what she was sacrificing for her stay in Europe.

Chapter 41: This is the story of Laurie and Amy's love, and it's far more satisfying than the past several chapters, and much nicer than I thought it would be. I think I'm finally coming to terms with Jo's rejection of Laurie. If she "begged him to be happy with somebody else," then she's not in love with him. It was the thought of Andy with someone else that made me realize that I was in love when we were dating. The growth that Laurie finally allows in this chapter is also a wonderful thing. All through the book he's been a bit flighty, and the Marches have seen his better potential and encouraged him to find it for himself. Now, he finally is. He and Amy will likely be very happy together. It will be interesting to see what Mrs. March has to say about Amy marrying him, as she didn't seem very keen on him at all when it was Jo he was courting!

0000000000It's all good. I spent the weekend at Mom & Dad's house, seeing our brother off & saying HI to folks. So I still haven't finished my next installment either. (I'm certain reading W&G4 had nothing to do with it!)

Book Lists

Thoughts on Education

"[Great works] did not merely entertain; they exposed us to something better than we could find elsewhere. And we hoped that such exposure would make us better as well- healthier intellectually and emotionally....Classical education was thought to improve the learner, not simply to make him more knowledgeable or tolerant or mentally skillful, but better and stronger, just as there survives today a residual belief that one who has, say, read and digested all of Shakespeare is better, more insightful, than one who has not." -Climbing Parnassus, quoted by the Crimson Wife

Classical self-education demands that you understand, evaluate, and react to ideas. In your journal, you will record your own summaries of your reading; this is your tool for understanding the ideas you read. This - the mastery of facts - is the first stage of classical education. (Well Educated Mind, pg 39)

Remember that the goal of grammar-stage reading is to know what the author says; the goal of logic-stage inquiry is to understand why and how. The final stage of reading - your rhetoric-stage pass through the book - has a third goal. Now you know what, why, and how. The final question is: So what? (Well Educated Mind, pg 46)

Questions to Ask Our Book:

Are there any important analogies or comparisons?

Are you going to change something because of the book?

Did something irritate you? Why?

Did you learn anything?

Does the author have a bias?

Does the author have an agenda?

Does this book have a theme?

Does this book say anything about human nature? Do you agree?

How does the author's style contribute to or (or detract from) the book?

Is the author asking questions? Does he answer them?

Is the author trying to convince us of anything? Are you convinced?

Is the book pressuring us to take anyone as a role model?

Is there anyone in the book you identify with? What makes them like you?

Is there anything the author is NOT saying?

What do you think of the choices the characters make?

What does the book reveal about the author? What about his cultural or hitorical setting?